


Five Times After Midnight

by J0shua



Series: Confetti only [1]
Category: The Haunting of Hill House (TV 2018)
Genre: Addiction, Explicit Drug Use, Gen, Luke high, Multi, Sadness, Steve playing the big brother, Twin thing, anguish, disapproval, relationship between brothers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:00:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24483922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J0shua/pseuds/J0shua
Summary: Five times Luke came home after hours.
Relationships: Eleanor "Nell" Crain & Luke Crain, Luke Crain & Steven Crain
Series: Confetti only [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1768627
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	1. 13 Old

**Author's Note:**

> I already said in another story and I will repeat it until everyone on that platform knows: English is not my first language, so forgive me if I make gross mistakes.
> 
> Well, in the series we heard Luke talking a little bit about the shit he did in his teens, but that phase hasn't been explored. So I decided to write things down as I imagined. And well, when it comes to doing shit like that, I think I have the minimum experience to write something minimally realistic. Anyway, I hope you like it!

The back door opened slowly. Luke staggered in. He leaned against the door, which hit the wall, making a loud noise. He swore he probably woke someone up - in fact, he was sure he had woken up at least one of his brothers, but he didn't want to think about it too much. Luke was drunk. So drunk he could barely stand. He closed the door and propped himself up, going down to the floor. The light came up. It was Steve. He was wearing his pajamas and an expression of disappointment, shame and anger. Luke was used to it, but it hurt just the same.

Steve approached and stopped in front of him, analyzing the damage. The strong smell of alcohol invaded and burned his nostrils despite the considerable distance. Luke was a mess; his clothes were stained with alcoholic drinks of all kinds, his hair was messy and wet with sweat, which ran down his face. Really, a mess. I can fix it , Steve thought. He have to fix it. Because despite the scowl, Steve still hoped to fix Luke. He was your little brother. He was. He was still the little boy who drew monsters in the treehouse. He was still the little boy with bottle-bottom glasses out of proportion to the face he lived with his twin. He was still the little boy who was afraid of ghosts and who lay in Steve's bed at night to feel safe. And he would bring it back. He could fix it. He will to fix it. He can fix it. 

"God Luke... again?" Steve asked rhetorically, bowing to match the youngest. He analyzed it well. His father always said that it was necessary to analyze the damage well in order to be able to repair it. And that was what he was doing at the moment. "I'm sorry, Stevie... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..." Luke said with a groggy voice and tears in his eyes. "I know that. I know..." Steve said pulling him into a tight hug , letting her tears, hitherto contained, run freely over her skin, warming her in wet and salty tracks that reflected all her pain and anguish. Luke grabbed the fabric of the pajamas that covered his brother's back and squeezed it tightly until his knuckles were white. His eyes were tightly closed as tears streamed down his cheeks and mixed with the sweat and oil on his skin, forming a sticky, disgusting mixture that soaked Steve's pajamas - which he didn't give a damn about.

"Come on. Let's give you a bath." Steve said as an order, helping him to his feet. They walked up the stairs. Luke crashes. He was too drunk to climb them alone. Steve held him right arm, giving him support to climb. With difficulty, they reached the first floor. "Wait for me here." He said, sitting him down on the toilet, "I'm going to get you some clothes." Luke nodded silently, staring at nothing. He looked scared, panicked. Steve ignored it. He was drunk, he must be hallucinating or something. Who knows what he drank.

Steve walked silently down the narrow hall. Well, it wasn't that narrow, but after living in a mansion like Hill House, any other house would look small. He was startled to see Aunt Janet standing in the hall, looking at him sadly. Steve nodded. "I'll take care of it. I can fix it. I'll fix it." The woman smiled in pain. With tears in her eyes, she went to her room. Steve walked back to the twins' room. They were thirteen but still shared a room. Aunt Janet tried to separate them when they turned ten, saying that they were both grown boys and that they would eventually need privacy. Mainly because they are of different genres. But they denied it. It is a twin thing. They know everything about each other. Physical distance would not change that. For them, there is no privacy. And they like it. They need it.

Again, Steve was startled. This time with Nell, who was sitting on the bed. She sounded and cried silently. She looked at him and wiped away the tears that insisted on rolling down her beautiful face. "Are you okay?" Steve asked, already knowing that he wasn't. "Is very bad?" Nell answered his brother with another question. "He's fine." He replied, turning on the light. "Don't lie to me, Stevie. I know exactly how he feels. It's a-" Nell said, being interrupted. "A twin thing. I know. You always say the same thing." He said as if he mocked it. As if he thought it was impossible for two people to be so connected that they feel everything the other feels - which was not too far from reality. "I'm going to force him to take a shower. Tomorrow we will have a conversation. Tonight he it's all your. Have fun." Steve said picking up his pajamas and walking to the door. He left the room without looking at his sister. Upon returning to the bathroom, Luke was still there, sitting on the toilet.

"Okay, little boy. Go take a shower. We'll talk about it tomorrow." Steve says giving the clothes to Luke. He is sad. Your little brother is lost in the night. In the dark. But he can fix that. He can. He goes. He's different from your father. Steve does not leave, abandoning his family. He will stay to fix everything so they can be a family again. No ghosts. There are no haunted houses. Only the Cain family. The happy Crain family. No problem. Without sorrow. No addict. No suicides. The perfect setting. Steve just needs to fix this. Fix your brother.

After the shower, Luke returns to his room. Nell is waiting for him. He knows. He stops and waits. Wait to hear what she means. Nell is crying. She feels  
what Luke feels. Literally. She just wants to know why. Luke can always talk to Nell. About everything. She knows when he is sad. Ever. And she expects him to decide when to talk to her. Nell gives Luke a space to consider the conversation. And he took Aunt Janet's money to pay for the beer. To forget your sadness. Nell's heart is broken. Doesn't your twin trust her? "Why?" She asked in tears.


	2. 15 Old

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, this fandom is so small! The most recent stories are from last year! Well, I'm going to continue writing about Hill House here! Anyway, I hope you like the chapter!

He arrived in the back, just like any other time in recent years. His red eyes betrayed his recent activities. But even without them, his brothers would know what he was doing. They always know. Luke closed the door, looked at the floor and sighed. Something attracted him to look out the window. And there he was. The reason he stole his aunt and cheated on his brothers just so he could have a few hours on drugs. The Bowler Hat Man. Luke's eyes widened. He wasn't supposed to be there. Not after Luke smoked until he was sure he wouldn't see him. Someone was standing in front of him. It was Steve. Luke ignored him. The Bowler Hat Man stole your attention. Steve was not surprised to see his glassy brother staring at nothing with a terrified expression. He was drugged. He always was.

"Luke?" Steve calls, watching him turn slowly, keeping the dread in his eyes. Steven looked at the window. There was nothing there. There never is. There never was. Steve sighed.I can fix it. I can fix it. That was still Luke. It was still his scared little Luke, who wanted to be as brave as his older brother. "You need a shower. Nell is waiting for you in the bedroom." Luke nodded. Steve left him in the bathroom and closed the door, propping his forehead against the door and sighing sadly. He needs to fix it, but each year the damage increases. When he thinks that one problem is solved, another worse one arises. Luke's addiction was like black mold in a beautiful, clean and perfect home. He eagerly corrodes it, while its residents do everything to fix it. In the end, there are only two conclusions; the damage is repaired or the house rots by itself in the night. In the darkness.

Steven was disappointed. He was not like his father, but in the end, he failed like him, just in different ways. But he did not give up on his brother. He would never give up on him. He's going to fix Luke. No, he will bring you back. Because that addict on the other side of the door was not your brother. It was just mold. Destruction, as your father used to call it. Steve was removed from his thoughts by Theo. She stopped beside him. Even in gloves, she refused to touch her brother's skin. She didn't want to risk feeling what she felt about the whole situation. His pain was enough to torture her every night. "How's he doing?" She asked as Steve turned his back against the wood, without breaking contact. Steve sighed. "He seemed to be seeing things through the window. I assume this is normal in his condition, but I don't know." He replied seeing Theo nod. He couldn't say how she felt. He never knew. "What about Nell?" Steve asked with concern. He knew that when Luke left, Nell felt bad. She felt dizzy, cold, sick and even pain. She says it's a twin thing, and that only heightens her concern about Luke. "It's bad. There is no other definition." Theo said as if it were something simple. But there was nothing. It couldn't be. "Aunt Janet is crying in the bedroom. She always cries. She thinks it's her fault. That Luke is her fault." Theo broke the brief silence that settled between them. Steve made no sound or movement. He was failing and his family was paying the price for it. He needed to fix Luke as soon as possible so that Aunt Janet would stop crying and Nell would stop getting sick from nothing.

"And Shirl?" He asked after a long time immersed in the suffocating silence. Shirley cut herself off from the family to process all of that, but he hoped Theo would know something about her. "I don't even know. She doesn't talk about it. She has anger and fear and anguish and... sadness, I think." Theo said as if he knew how Shirley felt. This has always confused Steven. That sort of thing is impossible, less among twins, apparently. More silence. The handle turns. Steve walks away and stops next to Theo and sees Luke walking out the door wearing the pajamas his brother gave him. His eyes were still red. He was still on drugs. Everyone returned to their respective rooms in silence.

Nell was standing at the door. Luke didn't look her in the eye. He could not. "My eyes stay up here, Luke." Nell said sadly. Slowly, Luke looked up, looking his twin brother in the eye. "Oh, Luke..." Nell whimpered, hugging his brother tightly. He returned. There were no words. They were unnecessary now. There were only tears. Nell just wanted to help his brother, but they were getting farther and farther away. More distant than ever in life. Luke was dealing with a lot on his own, and Nell knew that. It used to be your way out, but now the drug does that.

"Why?" Nell retraced his question. The same question she asked all these years and he never knew how to answer. That question broke your heart. He didn't want his brothers to go through this. It was supposed to be his alone. Own suffering. But it was not. Could not be. He would not carry that burden alone. His brothers would drag him together, until he reached a point where they would no longer be able to support him and leave Luke behind. That's how it works. This is the term you sign when using drugs for the first time. But at the time nobody thinks about it. Never. Now they are there, holding each other. The silence subsided. Luke did not answer his sister's question. She knew this was going to happen. But she needed to ask. She had to do this, even though her double offer said that Luke would not respond. She needed this. Because she believed in him. Even though he didn't believe in himself. Even though he didn't even know. She believed it. She always believed, as Luke believed her.

They went to sleep. What else could they do? Crying would not change anything. It wouldn't change what Luke did. They lay down, but they didn't even close their eyes. Sleep hadn't hit them in a long time. They just stood there, thinking. Thinking about everything and nothing. About the past and the future. About problems and solutions. Nell fell asleep before Luke. He remained thinking. Thinking about the things he has already done. About how he could fix it. It seemed like an impossible task, but he had to do it. For Nell's sake. For the sake of Steve, Theo, Shirl and Aunt Janet. For the sake of your family. And yours too. But even if he wanted to, The Bowler Hat Man come back. He was always there. Even after the House. He was there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take a look at my profile for more stories about this wonderful series! I hope to see you there! See you soon, reader!

**Author's Note:**

> Comment, vote and follow my profile, please! See you soon, reader!


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